This is The Refuge: 20th Anniversary Limited Podcast Series

The Refuge
  • 5.0 (1)
  • NON-PROFIT

The Refuge, a hub for healing community, social action, and creative collaboration, is celebrating our 20th anniversary in April of 2006. This 8 episode limited podcast series centers on our 6 shared values of Welcome, Presence, Engagement, Creativity, Transformation, and Celebration as well as where we started 20 years ago and what we dream for the next decade ahead!

Episodes

  1. Episode 2 | Welcome: There's Always Room at Our Table

    1D AGO

    Episode 2 | Welcome: There's Always Room at Our Table

    In this episode, we explore the first and foundational core value of The Refuge: Welcome. Dr. Decibel sits down with Kathy Escobar, one of The Refuge's founders, and Steve Palmer, a peer advocate at the Refuge, to unpack what it really means to create a table where everyone belongs.  Rooted in twelve-step recovery principles, The Refuge has built a community where diversity isn't just tolerated—it's celebrated. From "the land of misfit toys" to a thriving network of over 90 community partners, this conversation reveals how welcome extends beyond warm greetings to include radical inclusion, corrective experiences, and the hard work of holding both grace and accountability.  Featuring: Kathy Escobar (Co-founder, The Refuge) and Steve Palmer (Peer Support Team)  Hosted by: Dr. Decibel  Produced by Dr. Decibel Productions. Learn more at therefugeonline.org

    32 min

  2. MAR 2

    Episode 1: The Dream Begins...

    Welcome to This is The Refuge, our 20th Anniversary Limited Series podcast. Before diving into our 6 core values, meet the people who started it all. Join Dr. Decibel in conversation with co-founders Kathy Escobar and Mike Herzog as they share the raw, honest story of how The Refuge was born—not from a polished plan, but from pain, deconstruction, and a dream for something radically different.  From their evangelical roots to their messy break from traditional church, Kathy and Mike reveal how Recovery circles taught them what real healing looks like: tables instead of pews, conversations instead of sermons, and a community where doubters and believers sit side by side. Twenty years later, The Refuge has evolved from a small church experiment into a thriving community hub serving over 1,000 people through 14+ programs—from the Refuge Café to Trader Joe's food distribution reaching 80+ families weekly. to Refuge Reads to Single Moms Unite and so muchmore. This is where it all began—broken systems, bold dreams, and a commitment to people over programs.  Hosted by: Dr. Decibel Featuring: Kathy Escobar and Mike Herzog, Co-Founders  Produced by: Dr. Decibel Productions  Learn more at therefugeonline.org

    34 min
  • 2 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

About

The Refuge, a hub for healing community, social action, and creative collaboration, is celebrating our 20th anniversary in April of 2006. This 8 episode limited podcast series centers on our 6 shared values of Welcome, Presence, Engagement, Creativity, Transformation, and Celebration as well as where we started 20 years ago and what we dream for the next decade ahead!

Information